Black Rider
Black Rider is ranged cavalry in Age of Empires III, available from the Fortress Age; obtained through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), Saloon (Federal Americans), Palace (Africans), Stable (Swedes with the "Contract Black Riders" Home City Card, "German Mercenary Contracts" Home City Card or The Mercenary Contractor politician), Galleon (Swedes with the "German Mercenary Contracts" Home City Card), Lombard (Italians).
Recorded values
- Cost
- 270 Coin
- Available
- Fortress Age · Tavern (Europeans) ; Monastery (Asians) ; Saloon (Federal Americans) ; Palace (Africans) ; Stable (Swedes with the "Contract Black Riders" Home City Card, "German Mercenary Contracts" Home City Card or The Mercenary Contractor politician) ; Galleon (Swedes with the "German Mercenary Contracts" Home City Card) ; Lombard (Italians)
- Training
- 47 sec · 3 population · 27 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 520 hit points · 40% hand resistance · 7.25 speed · 15 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 18 damage · 1.5 attack interval · bonuses: 2.5x vs. Heavy cavalry; 2.5x vs. Hand shock trooper; 2.0x vs. Artillery
- Ranged attack
- 40 damage · 12 range · 3.0 attack interval · bonuses: 2.5x vs. Heavy cavalry; 2.5x vs. Hand shock trooper; 2.0x vs. Artillery; 0.5x vs. Villager
- Siege attack
- 14 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
Role, availability & values
Production is available through Tavern (Europeans), Monastery (Asians), Saloon (Federal Americans), Palace (Africans), Stable (Swedes with the "Contract Black Riders" Home City Card, "German Mercenary Contracts" Home City Card or The Mercenary Contractor politician), Galleon (Swedes with the "German Mercenary Contracts" Home City Card), or Lombard (Italians). It has 520 hit points. It moves at 7.25 speed and uses 3 population. Training costs 270 Coin; it takes 47 seconds to train. Attack profile: Hand attack deals 18 damage. Ranged attack deals 40 damage. Siege attack deals 14 damage. Hand attack bonuses: 2.5× against Heavy cavalry, 2.5× against Hand shock trooper, and 2.0× against Artillery. Ranged attack bonuses: 2.5× against Heavy cavalry, 2.5× against Hand shock trooper, 2.0× against Artillery, and 0.5× against Villager.
Matchup & timing
Hand attack is especially effective against Heavy cavalry (2.5×), Hand shock trooper (2.5×), Artillery (2×). Ranged attack is especially effective against Heavy cavalry (2.5×), Hand shock trooper (2.5×), Artillery (2×). Its reduced multipliers against Villager (0.5×) make it less suitable for those targets. Use ranged fire to focus Heavy cavalry, Hand shock trooper, and Artillery before they can close; hold the melee attack for Heavy cavalry, Hand shock trooper, and Artillery when they enter contact. Keep a frontline between this unit and threats that can reach it safely.
Mercenary statistics and cost
The Black Rider is a Fortress Age mercenary light ranged Cavalry unit. It costs 270 Coin, uses three population and takes 47 seconds to train. The current profile has 520 hit points, 40% hand resistance, speed 7.25 and 15 line of sight. Its ranged attack deals 40 damage at range 12 every three seconds. The attack has 2.5× multipliers against heavy Cavalry and hand shock troops, 2× against Artillery and half damage against Villagers. Its hand attack deals 18 every 1.5 seconds with the same bonuses against those military targets, while its siege attack is 14 at range six every three seconds. Before update 14.43676, its hand attack was ten damage.
Counter-Cavalry role
Black Riders combine Cavalry speed with a ranged attack, making them useful for intercepting heavy Cavalry and destroying exposed Artillery. The unit has hand resistance, unlike a Dragoon’s ranged resistance, so it survives some melee pressure better but takes more from ranged attacks. Its 7.25 speed helps it select engagements and withdraw from a threat, while its twelve range lets it attack before reaching melee. It is not a general raiding unit: its half damage against Villagers and high Coin and population cost make it better suited to combat. Keep it away from heavy infantry, light infantry, ranged shock troops and MercType2 units, which are listed counters.
Comparison with Dragoons and War Wagons
The Black Rider fills a role similar to the Dragoon as ranged counter-Cavalry and can also threaten Artillery. Compared with the German War Wagon, it gives up some hit points and damage, particularly siege damage, in exchange for greater mobility and hand resistance. Its 40% hand resistance distinguishes it from the Dragoon’s ranged resistance. These tradeoffs matter when selecting mercenaries: Black Riders can chase targets and absorb some melee contact, while War Wagons are more durable and Dragoons withstand ranged fire more effectively. Choose according to the opposing army and the kind of damage the cavalry is expected to face.
Mercenary hiring and civilization access
Most Europeans hire Black Riders from a Tavern, Asian civilizations from a Monastery, Federal Americans from a Saloon, Africans from a Palace and Italians from a Lombard. Germans can access them through Mercenary Camps. The Swedes can train them from Taverns by default and may also use a Stable or Galleon after the relevant Home City card or politician. This makes availability dependent on civilization and cards rather than a universal Stable roster. Swedes have especially flexible production routes, while standard mercenary facilities rely on Coin and can be limited by their unit pool.
Home City and politician upgrades
The Mercenary Contractor increases mercenary hit points and attack by 50% for eligible European civilizations. For Swedes, the contractor can also unlock Black Rider training from Stables when chosen for the Fortress Age. The Contract Black Riders and German Mercenary Contracts cards provide further Stable or Galleon access. Germans can use Mercenary Camps to recruit the unit, while the United States can receive Black Riders through Poker as part of a random mercenary shipment and may unlock them in Saloons. These differences change recruitment and timing but do not turn the Black Rider into an ordinary low-cost cavalry unit.
Portuguese Order Knights
Portuguese players can transform the Black Rider into an Order Knight after sending Treaty of Tordesillas and researching Order of the Tower and the Sword at the Church. The card ships eleven Order Knights, makes them available at the Tavern and gives them 15% more hit points and 30% more hand attack damage. This is a specific card-and-technology path and should be planned before spending Coin on ordinary mercenary recruitment. It adds a specialized Portuguese version without changing the standard unit’s general counter-Cavalry role.
Using the unit efficiently
Black Riders are expensive enough that their value depends on target selection. Keep them behind the main line until the opponent’s Cavalry or Artillery is exposed, then use their speed to close or reposition. Do not send them into a line of heavy infantry or light infantry simply because they have 520 hit points. Their range and bonuses support a short, focused engagement; their low siege attack and Villager penalty make them poor substitutes for raiding Cavalry or artillery.
Protect the mercenary investment
Three population and 270 Coin make a Black Rider expensive to replace. Keep the group near supporting infantry and avoid charging into light infantry or ranged shock units. Its hand resistance is useful when Cavalry reaches it, but it does not reduce the ranged fire that those counters deliver.
Use range and mobility together
A range of twelve lets the Black Rider fire while moving around the edge of a fight. Focus on one heavy Cavalry or Artillery target, then reposition before the enemy infantry line can surround the riders. This keeps its 2.5× and 2× bonuses productive without committing the whole mercenary group to melee.
Read the opponent before hiring
Hire Black Riders when the enemy has heavy Cavalry or exposed Artillery worth countering. If the opponent instead fields heavy infantry and light infantry, the same Coin and population can usually be spent on a safer composition.
Mercenary supply and replacements
Most Black Rider sources require a mercenary building or a card unlock, and their 47-second training time slows replacement. Keep the production site safe and do not commit the entire group to a fight where its counters are already in position.
Do not confuse it with ordinary Cavalry
The Black Rider’s mercenary tags and large population cost make it a specialized counter unit. Its statistics and hiring source differ from standard Dragoons or Hussars, even though it shares Cavalry speed.
A short engagement window
Use the rider’s speed to enter, focus a counter target and withdraw before enemy infantry can surround the group.
Fortress Age ranged Cavalry mercenary
The Black Rider is a Fortress Age Mercenary costing 270 Coin, with a 47-second training time and a three-population cost. It has 520 hit points, 40% hand resistance, speed 7.25 and sight 15. Its ranged attack deals 40 damage at range 12 every three seconds and has bonuses against Heavy Cavalry, Hand Shock troops and Artillery; its hand attack also has strong bonuses against those targets. The Siege attack deals 14 damage. Europeans, Asians, Federal Americans, Africans and Italians recruit it through their corresponding Mercenary buildings, while Swedes have additional access through specific cards or The Mercenary Contractor. This is a durable mobile counter unit, but its high Coin and population cost make losses difficult to replace.
Use range and speed to counter costly targets
Black Riders can fire on Cavalry or artillery while staying mobile, then use their speed to disengage before enemy Infantry closes. Do not treat their 40-damage attack as universal: they deal only half damage to Villagers and perform best against the target classes listed in their profile. Three population per unit means a large group can leave too little room for a screen. Pair them with lower-cost Infantry and use the Black Riders to remove the opponent’s key Cavalry or guns. The exact training building depends on civilization, expansion and cards; verify access before building a plan around the unit. A Home City shipment can deliver a timing, while local training requires the right structure and time to queue replacements.